Barbara Gordon, associate professor of English, offered an alternative way of teaching written argument at the College English Association Conference.
The presentation titled “The Nature of Argument: Inquiry Over Victory” given on April 5 at the College English Association Conference in Savannah, Ga., calls into question the traditional model for teaching argument in first-year writing courses, one that focuses on controversial topics blended with rhetorical strategies. Instead, Gordon posited a series of assignments that rest on a developmental model, one that encourages students to engage in argument as a means of inquiry, rather than of victory. More profoundly, the model attempts to use written argument as a means of transformation in which both writer and reader become more open to examining personal prejudices and cultural assumptions.